Therapists in 90046

Greetings: I welcome you to my practice and offer three primary areas of specialization: clients encountering issues such as LGBT coming out, adjustment, relationship and other key areas associated with this community. Clients approaching the launching phase of their life, teenagers in need of mentoring to help discover their unique abilities and how to bring these out into the world. Clients struggling with drug or alcohol issues, knowing that they can overcome these but needing help in finding how.

I work with individuals and couples who present with a diverse collection of strengths, challenges, and goals in life. I provide a space, whether in person or telehealth, that allows for people to feel accepted for who they are without judgement or shame. I work along side each individual or couple to define goals of treatment so we know when to celebrate or to redefine our objectives. I like to explore values, emotions and thoughts to identify opportunity for positive change. In addition to these qualities of my practice, my perspectives are grounded in feminist principles, Buddhist philosophy, and attachment theory.

I enjoy assisting adults of all ages to explore relationship concerns, to develop personal autonomy, self-worth - and to explore individual and professional creativity. If you are depressed, anxious, angry, struggling or worried - I want to help you. For over 25 years, I have supported individuals of all ages to articulate and understand psychological problems, to develop insight and individual strategies to thrive in life. I specialize in helping people who are are struggling with trauma, identity, suicidal ideation, emotional pain, social changes, family dynamics, relationship loss, complex grief, and emotional life transitions.

The past few years have turned many of our lives upside down. You may be struggling to find your "new normal" or embarking on a new path in life. You may be grieving the loss of a loved one, or a way of life. The state of the world, isolation, relationship difficulties, or other challenges of day-to-day living may leave you feeling depleted, overwhelmed, anxious or depressed. Therapy can help. Whether you need help making a change, moving through grief, communicating with loved ones, or are just feeling stuck, I can help you find creative solutions to not only cope and survive, but also to thrive.

All too often struggles deplete our energy and leave us feeling down on ourselves. Through rigorous conversation and a highly supportive relationship, I help people gain the clarity and confidence needed to produce desired change. I have extensive training in postmodern therapies, which examine how dominant cultural discourses can have oppressive effects on our lives, identities, and relationships. Prior to working in private practice, I was part of UCLA's network, where I brought social justice aims to integrative models of mental health. I have many years of experience working with couples, families, youth, and adults.

Are you a gay man who is trying to reduce conflict in your relationship? Do you have concerns about sexual frequency or performance/satisfaction? Do you want help in how to grow your career/income, cope with workplace stress, gain self-confidence in sex and dating, or cope with a medical or psychiatric challenge (depression, anxiety, ADD, OCD, PTSD)? Support for healing from a traumatic experience (violent crime, illness, accident), or recovering from difficult past experiences in your Family of Origin or past relationships? Recover from substance issues? I help gay men with all of these issues and more in my long (32 years) career.

I became a psychotherapist as part of an overall commitment to exploring the many different paths to healing and wellbeing. My style is warm, collaborative, flexible and respectful. The goal is to have the best possible experience of living. We cannot accomplish that by rewriting our history, yet together you and I can engage in a process where we understand what your past means to you and the impact it has on your current behaviors and relationships, in order to make space for new meanings and new responses to things and a better experience of living.

I work with men who are ready to face themselves, their past, present and future with courage and honesty; men who are prepared to take a closer look at their own reflection. In the pursuit of better answers about ourselves we cannot underestimate the power of asking better questions. I'm a proactive collaborative partner toward growing, expressing, exploring or resolving what you bring into therapy. A quote that symbolizes our work is "Once there was a man who was afraid of his shadow. Then he met it. Now he glows in the dark."

I believe there is opportunity for healing within the suffering we experience. Psychotherapy can be a way to turn directly toward what is happening for you and engage with how it impacts you. It is in this looking that growth and change happens, using awareness in the present moment as a way to help you understand and release the pains of the past, fears of the future, and limiting old beliefs. Together, we can support you to discover, reconnect to, use and understand your own skills and strengths. I love working with adults from diverse backgrounds who are wanting to make a change in their lives, communities, and our world.

I believe the most important factors in the therapeutic relationship are compassion, acceptance, and collaboration. Through this type of relationship, I will create an environment where you feel safe and understood, and therefore ready to make effective change. My approach to therapy is strength- based and I will combine psychotherapy interventions with practical and personalized approaches to help you meet your unique needs. My therapy practice is based in the strongest research as well as specialized training in evidence based treatments.

I have a niche' practice offering three different services. 1.) Counseling for people in the helping professions (counselors, social workers, nurses, etc.) 2.) Mentoring for counselors wishing to develop and improve their unique use of self with client's. 3.) Coaching for people working through changes in their personal and professional lives; perhaps not needing therapy, but still wanting to cope better with change.